Our compatriot in India, Ashkhen Khachatryan, warned that the multi-arched bridge built by Khoja Petros, which has a plaque that has the date of its construction and its history written in Latin, Armenian, and Persian in Chennai (Madras), India, is in danger. It has already been a few years that the construction of a metro system has been underway here.
Ashkhen Khachatryan told Aravot in an interview that she called several committees regarding the upkeep of the 300-year-old monument, but to no avail. She asked them to at least fence off the area, because according to her, the bridge has turned into a garbage dump, and the Armenian writing has been covered.
Ashkhen said sadly that the Madras Heritage Facebook group announced that the area across the monument has already been covered with concrete, and that the Armenian writing is no longer there. She believes that Armenia also needs to pay attention to Armenian monuments outside of Armenia, and that it needs to carry out initiatives so that the issue of the old bridge will not remain unsolved. Its former look needs to be restored, and the grave of Khoja Petros, one of the few Armenians from Chennai, needs to be refurbished.
The old bridge has not been in use since 1960. The plaque has been placed by the new bridge.
Ashkhen Khachatryan also wrote much more information about the bridge on her blog.
Gohar Hakobyan
1. The first photo used, was taken by Nandan Sankriti Kaushik, on 1st February, 2019. Please give photo credit, and in future, please ask for permission, before publishing.
2. The original bridge built by Uskan was destroyed in 1966, and a new one stands in its place. This plaque is the only remaining part of that original bridge.
The photo I have taken and shared it with Journalist from the Madras Local History Group. It was posted there by Nandan Sankriti Kaushik as there wasn’t any watermark that without permission no-one can use it so, I have taken it without asking anyone. Don’t think that it’s a big issue. About the bridge I know and said too that since 1960s no-one use it, there’s a new bridge and where they have moved the plaque which one today needs attention and we should care about it.All these are written there. It’s not only about Armenians and Armenian heritage it’s history of Chennai too that all of us slowly loosing. If you want that your name will be mentioned as a photographer that’s no problem but anyone can take a photo that will looks like your photo. Dear journalist if it is possible add there his name that he took and share the photo in that Facebook page Madras Local History Group